A Wave Upon the Sand
by Ilandere Okami
Summary: Zuko lived a pretty normal life, until he met Aang and his friends, living off the street. When his father wants Zuko to follow in his footsteps and Zuko needs to regain his honor, will he betray these innocent lives? not to be completed
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"THAT'S IT, ZUKO! WE'RE THROUGH!" Mai shouted in her boyfriend's face. They had been dating for several years and thought they were in love. At least, Mai certainly thought so.

"Come on, Mai! It was one time! And it won't happen again. Really, I love you, Mai. You can't just dump me because of this," Zuko fought back. He needed Mai. She was his support through so much. She helped him when he needed it. In return, he helped Mai cut loose when she needed to, even though that was quite rarely. It was getting rarer lately however.

Mai turned her back on him. "Zuko, we have been dating for three years now. And I thought we could tell each other anything. If you wanted something more out of me, then you could have asked. And if you didn't want me anymore, well, then you could've said so."

Mai was never the one to hold too much emotion for a long time. She seemed as relaxed as ever again, so Zuko tried softening her up.

"Please, Mai," he said quietly while walking towards her. He put his arms around her. "We can work this out. Please. Just give me one more chance. I won't disappoint you again."

She closed her eyes in her Zuko's arms, feeling the warmth that was always there. She never wanted it gone. It was the one thing that made her smile every day. Mai sighed, leaning in his arms more. "Fine. But just one more chance. If you mess up again…well…may I suggest moving out of state and changing your name?"

Zuko sighed, relieved. His life would never be as simple again, now that he had to try extra hard not to screw things up.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hey, there. You lost?" Zuko asked the strange young girl in front of him. She just stared up at him with her large, blue eyes that contrasted greatly with her darkened skin. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled back in an intricate braid.

"Why would I be lost? I'm not some little kid!" She was angered that Zuko had mistaken her for someone younger. Well, now that he looked beyond the obvious and saw the subtle differences in her face compared to a child's, he could see she seemed to be at least fourteen, and pretty cute. He looked lower, just to make sure. "Hey! My face is up here, pervert!"

Zuko quickly looked back at her eyes, which were now shooting daggers at him. "Sorry," he said softly. "But do you know where you're going? I can—"

"I said I'm not a kid! I know where I'm going!" she shot at him. Then she slapped his arm.

Just then, someone called a name from down the block. "Katara! Katara!" The girl looked around in confusion. When she saw another guy with dark hair and skin running up the street, her face brightened immediately.

The boy came up to her, breathless. He wheezed, "Katara. Where've you been? Aang said we were going to meet at the bank. Who's your friend?"

"Sokka! I don't even know him! He was just following me around asking if I needed help finding wherever I'm going."

Zuko smiled. "Well, I was right wasn't I? You were walking in the wrong direction." He chuckled.

The other boy glared at Zuko with the same eyes as the girl. "Come on, Katara. It's getting dark out. We should be getting back to Aang. He knows this city better than we do."

"Do you want me to lead you? I know this place like the back of my hand! Where're you going again?" Zuko asked. He looked down at the girl, Katara. She just glared up at him again. "By the way, the name's Zuko."

The boy shook Zuko's hand with a tight grip in his rough hands. "Sokka," he said. "The Chase bank. Lead the way." He indicated with his hands.

Zuko started walking down the street with the boy and girl that seemed related following behind. Sokka caught up with Zuko soon.

"You can just excuse my sister. She can be quite stubborn at times. She's a very independent young woman. Fifteen in just a few months." Zuko could hear the compassion in his voice. Sokka really respected Katara. "I'm sixteen," he added, not wanting to be outshined by his sister.

"Cool. I'm sixteen too."

They walked in silence for some time. Zuko was never a talker. He liked the quiet of the night. And apparently so did Sokka and Katara. Soon they were at the bank; it was closed for the night.

"Hey, it's closed. Sorry 'bout that. Well, I guess you should be getting home. Whoa, look at the time! I'm gonna be late! Oh, Dad'll kill me!" Zuko looked around for the two teenagers he had just brought and saw them slipping into the alley next to the bank.

He followed them and saw a flashlight lit behind the dumpster. "Sokka? Katara?" he called out.

A young boy appeared then. His skin was much paler, and he wore raggedy old clothes that were seriously out-dated and ill-fitted. There were some brown crusty stains all over them. His wide eyes were a pale grey color and his face was creased as if in a constant smile. He was gangly with not too much muscle. But his weirdest feature was his hair. It was shaved into a buzz-cut and in the shape of an arrow. Other than that, he was bald.

The boy stared at Zuko with worry plain in his eyes. "What are you doing here? How do you know their names?" he demanded. He seemed protective.

Katara came out from behind the dumpster and patted the boy's arm to calm him down. "Aang, it's okay. He helped us find our way back here. But now I think it's best that he leaves," she added with some venom.

The boy looked down at Katara's arm around his. He smiled smugly and walked back to their hiding place.

Feeling that he had overstayed his welcome, Zuko turned around and started for the mouth of the alley.

"Thanks!" he heard Sokka shout from behind him. Smiling to himself, he walked out into the open and a wind rushed through his light coat and froze him. He breathed on his hands and warmed them a bit then went on his way back to his house, wishing his dad hadn't taken away his lighter. Then he touched the skin around his eye in shame.

Zuko walked home through the darkened streets, wondering who those kids were and why he felt anger towards that pale boy with the weird hair when he smiled at Katara's touch. Katara seemed too proud to be thought of as just a hot girl like it seemed the pale boy thought. However, Zuko did think she was pretty hot.

"I'm home! Sorry I'm late, I needed to help some kids," Zuko called as he walked through the front doors of his father's house. He hurried up the grand staircase to his room to change into some nicer clothes for dinner and rushed back down and into the dining room.

Silently, Zuko sat at the opposite head of the table from his dad. Azula was sitting next her father affectionately. The three of them ate in silence for a while, with just the sound of clinking silverware on china.

"Your scar is healing nicely," Zuko's father, Ozai, stated, trying to make small-talk with his distant son. Then he said with both tenderness and sternness, "Please, don't play with lighters anymore. You can get seriously hurt—more than this time, I mean."

Zuko only nodded, still looking down at his half empty plate. Azula smiled crookedly, loving it when her father scolded little Zuzu.

Just then, Azula remembered what her brother had said earlier, as he came through the door. "Zuzu, who were you helping that were so important as to be late for dinner with your family?" She gestured around the table.

Zuko choked on the piece of meat in his mouth. He wasn't expecting anyone to hear that. But he knew he had to answer, otherwise Azula would get it out of him in some other, more horrible way. "Just some street kids it seems like."

Ozai perked up at that. "Street kids? What were you doing with street kids? You might get mono or something!" He was angered by this.

"No! I-uh…they were…different. Well, the two I helped were pretty okay. Their clothes were normal and I didn't know they lived on the streets until I saw they were staying in an alley behind a dumpster. Then this pale kid got all protective and stuff, so I left. I would have offered them food or even to stay here. That pale kid was weird. Dad, you should have seen his clothes! They were extremely old and dirty. It looked like he outgrew them years ago!"

"A pale boy with old stained clothes?"

"Yeah, Dad." Zuko wondered why his dad was intrigued all of a sudden.

"They were talking about someone like him at the office." Ozai was a psychiatrist. "Apparently he is an orphan just come out of a coma. He was released from the hospital as soon as he woke up with nothing but the clothes he wore before he was put in the hospital gown. I guess he came back to his home city. Everyone at work was talking about him," Ozai replied.

Zuko looked awe-struck at his dad. But the explanation didn't explain Sokka and Katara. "I think I caught his name: Aang or something like that."

"Aang? Daddy, didn't you say that was the boy's name?" Azula asked innocently.

Ozai looked down at his daughter and said with compassion, "Yes, you're right. I didn't even remember that." He turned back to Zuko. "I want to know how he feels about not having any parents, and living off the street, after he was in a coma for so long. Zuko, will you do something for me?"

Zuko wanted to appease his father, make up for his mistakes. He answered, "Sure, Dad, anything. What is it?"

"Find the boy. It would be so interesting to listen to his stories. What is going on in his mind? Such trauma! Find the boy again and bring him to me! We can take him in if he wants! But not his friends. Remember that. We don't run a shelter you know."

Zuko was taken aback. He had to find this boy he didn't even know and he was sure hated him. What if the boy didn't want to come? "Dad…I don't know…."

"Zuko, if you don't bring that boy to me, how are you supposed to be able to follow in my footsteps? You need to be a people person, like your sister here. She understands everyone in a way I can't even contemplate!" Ozai looked down at his perfect daughter with admiration. Then he turned on Zuko and stood, anger boiling into his face. "And look at _you!_ You are a pyromaniac who got his own mother, my wife, sent to jail! You fail in your studies and wander the city with street rats! They could've been part of a gang and had you killed!"

"FATHER!"

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE AND DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU HAVE BROUGHT THAT BOY!"

Azula smiled up at her brother, who was standing across from his father. "What a great way to regain your honor, little Zuzu…."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zuko walked down the windy streets with nothing but a dress shirt and pants on. His shoes weren't even tied, but he didn't care. He had two possibilities of where to go. Either to his girlfriend's house, or his uncle's place.

Iroh lived in a small apartment on the other side of the city. He used to be a highly-respected naval officer until that war was over and it was time for him to leave. He couldn't hold down a steady job and mooched off his brother constantly. Mai, however, lived only a few blocks away in a huge estate. She didn't need a job yet; her parents paid for everything.

"Mai it is," he said aloud as he turned a corner onto a well lit street. Ozai might be a famous and well-paid psychiatrist, but Mai's father was the Mayor of the city! There must be some law against shutting someone's own son out of the house.

But Zuko could not tell Mai what happened. It would make Azula look bad. Zuko's sister and his girlfriend were best friends, not something you would want to get in between…like he often did….No, Zuko would just say that he needed a place to crash for the night. Mai never asked too many questions.

He walked up to the gate, locked for the night, and rang the buzzer.

"Who is it?" came the voice of the doorman.

Zuko pressed the talk button and said into the microphone, "It's Zuko. You know, Mai's boyfriend…."

The man on the other side of the gate replied reluctantly, "Oh…well, come on in then." The gates swung open slowly and Zuko hurried through them, through the front yard, which was huge and green, and up to the front door, which was locked. He rang the bell several times before someone answered the door.

Mai took in what she saw in a glance. Her long-term bf was standing out in the cold end-of-winter night in nothing but a shirt and slacks, shivering from the cold, his scar still disgusting to look at. So she turned her head away from his face.

"Come on in," she said and let Zuko in. She led him upstairs into her extravagant bedroom and tossed him one of her down comforters. She had just come back from dance class and was tired; Mai was not in the mood for drama.

Zuko sat on the bed with the comforter around his shoulders. Instead of complaining, like he often did, he asked, "How was dance? I bet you're a master at the tango now! Mind if I help you practice a bit?" He stood up and placed his arms out, ready for Mai to join him.

She just sighed. "Not now, Zuko. I'm tired. And you're avoiding the obvious question. Why are you here? Wait, I don't wanna know. And seriously, I don't like you coming here when my parents are home. What if they saw you? You know they don't know about your little _problem_…."

His arms slid to his sides and he slumped onto the bed again. "Mai, how can we stay together if you are ashamed to even look at my face? You try to help me, but you know I can't stop. Mai, please—"

Zuko was interrupted by Mai's lips against his. She hated the subject and this was the only way to shut him up. Yes, she was ashamed that her boyfriend was a pyro; yes, she was ashamed for her parents to see that scar that marred his used-to-be gorgeous face; yes she was ashamed that she still dated him. Appearance—to her and her family—was everything. But she couldn't leave him.

After several minutes of kissing, Mai pulled away from her not-so-appropriate position on Zuko. "I can't live without you, Zuko," she whispered into his ear.

Just then the two on the bed heard the clunking footsteps on the stairs.

"_Father's coming!_" Mai cried. "Hide! I don't want him to—oh…please, just…I'm sorry." She had just insulted Zuko terribly, actually saying that she doesn't want her dad to ever see her boyfriend.

Zuko was about to insult her right back when the bedroom door opened and Mai's father, the mayor, walked in. He was about to ask for his only daughter to come back down for dinner when he noticed her sitting on top of a boy with a scarred face. On further inspection, he realized the boy was Zuko.

"MAI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH ZUKO?! AND WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIS FACE?!" he yelled, red coloring his face. He did not like his little girl growing up, especially in his own house.

"Father, I was just…Zuko…and…" she babbled. She took a deep breath to restore her usual calm and tried again. "Zuko was just about to tell me why he had come here in the middle of dinner when I interrupted him with a kiss. You see, we haven't seen each other for a few days, and I thought it was only appropriate. And his face, well, he can answer that too. Zuko?"

Zuko shook his head in confusion. He didn't understand why Mai would rat him out. She knew something was wrong, though. He sighed and decided to state some of the truth. "Well, the scar…it's difficult to explain. All I can say is: Don't play with fire." He laughed half-heartedly. Neither of the two he was talking to even cracked a smile. "I ran away, alright? I couldn't take it anymore. I got up and left, not thinking. I thought Mai, of all people, would understand and let me stay the night."

Mai just stared at him in disbelief. She knew it was something else; he hadn't run away. Mai's father glared at him—it seemed as if Zuko was getting that a lot today.

He continued to glare as he said, "Mai, tell your friend we do not run a shelter for the homeless. If he truly ran away, then he should've had a backup plan. I am sorry Zuko, but you must leave. And don't come back until you can look suitable for my daughter."

Zuko, dripping in disappointment, trudged out of the room and down the long flight of stairs. The doorman didn't bother to open the door, so Zuko pulled it open himself.

As he walked down the long sidewalk and onto the streets, he realized what Mai's father had said was true. He was homeless. He had nowhere to go, except for Uncle Iroh, and he couldn't get there before midnight.

Not paying attention to where his numb feet were taking him, Zuko found himself half a block away from the bank. He sighed, not just physically numb, but mentally as well.

When he was about to turn into the alley where he knew Katara, Sokka, and the pale boy, Aang, were staying, he heard loud voices.

"I can't believe you let him know where we are staying!" came the voice of Aang.

"He was just trying to help, dude!" Sokka retorted.

"But now he can rat us out! What if he tells the police? Then where will we go? We have no transportation and there are police stations all over the city!" Aang yelled angrily.

"Aang calm down. He didn't seem like he would tell on us. I think we can trust him."

What a blow that was. Zuko had told his father. But he didn't think Ozai would send the police out. Would he? Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for his entrance.

There was nobody around the corner. They still must be behind the dumpster. It gave him one more chance to prepare himself for what he was about to do. It would be simple to just ask Aang to come with him, right? Zuko could take the kid to his dad and he would be allowed back into the house.

But he didn't want to hurt these three kids. They didn't have any parents—that he knew of—and they were living off the street. If Aang was truly the only who knew this city, wouldn't the other two be hopelessly lost?

Well, Zuko didn't have a home to go back to. For the time being, he was just like these kids. Once again, he took a deep breath.

As soon as he stepped around the corner of the dumpster, he realized that he wasn't fully illuminated. He was just a strange, tall silhouette. And that's why there was a high pitched scream the instant he came into view.

"KATARA! IT'S ME, ZUKO!" he shouted over her screaming.

"Sorry, dude. We thought you could be the police…." Sokka apologized. "What're you doin' here?" He stood up as he said this and walked over to Zuko, who was standing awkwardly away from them.

Zuko took in a huge breath and sighed. He didn't want to explain the real reason. Well, one of the real reasons. So he simply said, "It's a long story. Can I just stay here with you guys tonight?"

They all looked at him with strange eyes, curious as to why he needed to stay with street kids when he apparently had a nice home where he could change into nice clothes. But they didn't argue, seeing as it was getting late and they needed to get up early the next morning.

Sokka nodded enthusiastically, Katara just stared, but Aang looked away, still protective of his friends. Zuko was fine with it. Even if he wasn't fully welcome, at least he didn't have to find his own secluded alley, or try to get to his uncle's place.

He was given one blanket without any to put underneath himself, for that was their only blanket left. Moving it away from the rest, who seemed to huddle for warmth, Katara in the middle, he lied flat on the ground with a garbage bag underneath his head. Things wouldn't be too bad if he could just stay with them a couple of more days to figure things out.

He easily fell asleep, even with his extremely uncomfortable position and head swimming in thoughts.

Zuko was woken up the next morning by a hand shaking him roughly. "Wake up, you bastard!" someone yelled in his ear.

"I'M UP, I'M UP!!" he responded, using the same words as he used to with his mother when he was little. His eyes opened immediately to the early morning sun. He squinted around until he found the person who was still shaking him, though he was almost in a sitting position. Man, his back was sore! How could they sleep like this every night?!

Aang stared at him through furious eyes. "You forgot to mention you had your cell phone on you last night. Someone called a few minutes ago. They wanted to know if you had tried getting 'the boy' to come with you. They realized you were an incompetent little brat and needed to learn a lesson. They said, 'Remember to bring me that street rat: Aang'."

With that, Katara threw a shoe at Zuko's head. It hit him in the shoulder—still pretty good aim seeing as the weight was off; it was a tap shoe.

* * *

**Author's note: **

**i gave u a clue as to what is taking the place of the elements in this story if this is modern day and there is no magic. u already know that there is no firebending cause zuko is a pyromaniac and gave himself that scar (so sad, i know). actually, this chapter holds 2 clues. find them and review!! i might give u some hints as to what the other 2 elements are. oops, that was another clue. teehee. just remember, there are no nations, but i think u have a glimpse of what is taking the place of that. u will find out in time...prob when i introduce toph. no story is ever complete w/o toph!!**

**just to clarify: the ages in the actual series are a little off compared to this story. yes, this is really just the series brought into the modern world...w/o any magic that u can see yet. in the real series, the ages i know of are as follows: zuko: 16. sokka: 15. katara: 14. aang: 12. toph:12. idk the rest. all i know is that azula is supposed to be zuko's younger sis most likely. idk anything else. in my series, the ages u know so far: zuko: 16. sokka: 16. katara: almost 15. azula: older than zuko. the ages are this way to 1) be closer in age and 2) because i want them to be older. just a preference.**

**and yes, the events in the actual series are as follows: zuko banished. 3 years later aang is found by katara and sokka. in this story, the events u know: aang wakes up from coma. katara and sokka find him (in some sorta way that u dont know yet). zuko finds them. then he is banished and has to kidnapp aang. complicated and a little out of order. but this is zuko's story, not aang's!!**

**and also to clarify some things: this is a zutara (zuko/katara) fic. there hopefully will be some taang (toph/aang). i was thinking a little sokka/azula would be funny, but aint gonna happen. too weird. but yes, there is some katang (katara/aang), as u have witnessed already. and there is some maiko (mai/zuko), like u've seen. duh. its all part of the big picture. i hope you've liked reading this. and remember: zuko is supposed to be the bad guy.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zuko picked up the shoe from the ground and was about to throw it back to Katara, but then loosened his hand, letting the shoe clatter to the ground. He knew he had anger problems. It wasn't good to aggravate these kids more than they already were.

Instead of fighting back, he silently plucked his cell out of Aang's hand, stood up, brushed his clothes off, and started to walk out of the alley. The three kids just stared at him from the ground, all eyes full of hate and anger. He turned away from them again and walked around the dumpster.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, kid?"

Zuko looked up into the eyes of a police officer. _Shit_, he thought. His dad had called the cops. He just stared up at the policeman, hoping the man wouldn't look behind the dumpster. The officer just stared down at him, implying the question wasn't rhetorical.

Zuko slowed his breathing down and stated, "I was just going to my uncle's place. But you see, it's all the way across town, so I decided to rest for the night and start up again in the morning." Lying to an officer was illegal. And this was all true.

The policeman just kept staring down at Zuko. Finally he said, with a voice full of acid, "I was called here on a noise complaint. There must be others in there with you to cause such a racket. You know, it's against the law to stay in an alley like this one here…next to a bank. And you seem like the type that, well…he he he…." He chuckled to himself.

But Zuko wouldn't back down. He wanted to protect these kids that had just shunned him, though he didn't know why. Putting up a brave front—and pretending he didn't care about that jab at his scar—he looked at the cop's nameplate and said, "Well, Officer Zhao, do I look like the type of kid who would hang out with anyone?" It hurt him badly to say that, especially since right now, it seemed quite true.

Officer Zhao looked Zuko up and down. What the kid said seemed to be true. "Let me just take a look to make sure…" he said. He started to step around the teenager.

But Zuko was quick-witted, and didn't want this Zhao guy to find the street kids…the _other_ street kids….He spotted a lighter on the ground, near some flattened cardboard boxes. _Perfect_, he thought.

As Zhao walked towards the dumpster—slowly because he wasn't sure if he would get tackled as soon as he reached the other side—Zuko grabbed the lighter and lit the cardboard on fire, throwing it in the officer's way.

The man was quite startled and backed up over a trash bag. He tripped and fell to the ground. While he was down, Zuko pocketed the lighter and ran for his life. He knew that he was now a fugitive of the law and could actually get arrested. And of course his father wouldn't bail him out.

Sokka grabbed Katara's hand and followed Aang around the fire and the police officer and ran the opposite way Zuko went.

After some running, they all stopped, panting for breath. Katara took out a water bottle—one of the only things she was able to save before they ran for it—and took a swig. She handed it to her brother, then Aang. "What are we going to do?"

Aang looked up and down the street. Then he started walking again. He looked over his shoulder and coaxed, "Come on, I think I know where we can stay for a while."

They walked for half an hour in silence. Soon they were outside a city park. It was large and open, not the best place to hide for a long time. Sokka voiced this and Aang just replied, "You'll see…" and kept walking.

He led them over to the other side, where there was a nice wood. On the way they passed street performers, and Aang kept bobbing along to the beat of some of the music. Katara giggled and Sokka just pretended to ignore it all, wanting to keep composer, until his sister jabbed him and he burst out laughing, making Aang jump and turn around confused.

It angered him that Sokka was able to make Katara laugh so easily and they were able to act so much like siblings when he couldn't even get past friends with her. The fact that she stood up for that Zuko guy yesterday really bugged him. He would never want to tell Katara how he felt about her, but maybe he would.

Once they reached the woods, Aang stopped. He looked up to the branches of the winter-bare trees. Making up his mind, he jumped up—quite high for someone so short—and grabbed hold of a low branch. He climbed up quickly, like he was made for climbing—and quite gracefully at that.

Sokka went up after him, not knowing what else to do, but worrying that he would fall the whole time.

"Come on, Katara!" Aang called down. He thought that this was a perfect way to show off to her.

She just looked up and down the tall tree. "I'd rather join the street performers!" she called back. Aang took the sarcasm the wrong way.

He shrugged and jumped down, landing like a cat on the tips of his toes, and ran off back to the path and the performers, laughing childishly all the way. Sokka started to scramble down the tree.

"I was just kidding!! Aang, come back!" Katara ran after him.

Sokka was still trying to get out of the tree. "Oh, come on! Guys! Wait up! Guys! Aang! Katara?! OUCH!" He got his foot caught. "I guess I'll just wait here…"

Katara kept calling after Aang, but he kept running until he spotted one group with music he liked. There was a keyboardist and a flutist playing classical music around a benched area, so older people could sit and listen.

Aang leapt into the circle of benches and twirled around on the spot. He then raised his arms over his head, stood on the toes of his sneakers, and walked around. The elders got a kick out of him. They watched, fascinated. So did Katara.

He was amazing; he must have taken ballet classes before. After almost ten minutes straight of him dancing, he had gathered quite a crowd. They threw him money, but he ignored it, eyes closed most of the time. He had a relaxed smile on his face. It was heart-warming.

Soon, Sokka limped over. "Thanks for waiting," he spat at Katara. Then he looked up at who was in the center of the circle…and burst into a laughing fit. She gave him a dirty look, but went back to watching Aang.

However, he had stopped when he heard the laughter. Almost tripping on a few coins, he noticed the money for the first time. He picked it all up quickly and shoved the bills and coins in his pockets. The crowd dispersed and he hurried over to his friends. Sokka was wiping a tear out of his eye from his laughing.

But before he could make any comment, Katara exclaimed, "That was amazing! When did you take dance?!"

Aang looked down, embarrassed. "My…parents…w-were dancers…Th-they made me…when I was little…." He had never mentioned his parents before. It was hard for him.

Someone cleared his throat behind them. They all jumped and whipped around to see a man in a suit with a stern look in his face staring straight at Aang.

* * *

Zuko ran for as long as he possibly could. He was never on the track team at his private school, but they would've loved him on it if they saw him right at that moment.

After ten minutes straight of running, he stopped. Sadly, he didn't recognize his surroundings. This was a part of the city he didn't know. Who knew that ten minutes away from his cozy little part of the city, there was a slum neighborhood?

There were bums and hobos all around him. Each stared at him in turn, admiring his dirty, yet still fancy clothes. When he looked back at them, however, they turned away. _My scar_, Zuko thought, ashamed. _Even bums won't look at me._

With a heavy heart and guilt spreading through his body, he trudged on. There was no one to comfort him. There was no one to offer help. _Mai_, he thought. No, she would only try to distract him, maybe with a kiss. _Mom_, he tried. Yes, if she was here right now, she would hold his hand and guide him through this place. She would hold him tight and never let go.

"But Mom's not here now. No, I made sure of that," Zuko muttered bitterly, sarcastically. He missed his mom terribly. If he just hadn't started that fire, then nothing would have happened. He would still have a non-convict mother, his father wouldn't have thrown him out, and he would still have family.

A man in ratty old clothes called him out of his thoughts. "Hey, kid. You gots any money?" the guy whispered. He was walking towards Zuko slowly, as not to scare him.

_Ignore them,_ he reminded himself—for more reason than one. And he kept on walking. He knew that there was a way out of here close-by. He could feel it: the wind able to escape from the tall, yet crumbling buildings.

Finally, he stepped into open country. He must have been walking through the outskirts of the city!

"This is just great!" he murmured, along with some very colorful swears.

Pulling his sleeves over his hands, shielding them from the bitter winds, he started to run again, this time making sure to stay out of the strange neighborhood he was just in.

_I'll be at Uncle's soon enough_, he thought. _Then he can help me figure out what to do._

And with the thought of capturing that boy, Aang, and bringing the street-rat back to his father, he kept running on towards a new home, a new future.

* * *

**Author's note: WOOT!!! another chapter up! the zuko half of this was really tough to write. i wrote the whole *gaang* (for lack of other names...) scene in one sitting, but it took me several to write zuko's. see, i didnt know what i wanted to happen for his. but for the gaang, i knew i wanted to show aang's abilities....**

**this is really scary now, isnt it? you need to know what happens to the gaang, dont you? WELL, THATS TOO BAD!! i've got another fanfiction i really need to work on along w/ two other original stories. one of which i am working on some drawings for...dont ask. just go to http:// fictionpress. com/ ~zena silverwing (just take out the spaces...) /~zenasilverwing see, last time i put in a link, it got all messed up. whichever way is better, go for it!**

**remember, review please!! and i might give some secrets out. i could tell you what is takin the place of the elements, though i think that this chapter gave A LOT of clues!! there were a couple in chapter 3 as well. well, good night (day) and have a pleasant tomorrow. or not. whichever you prefer.**


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